Neo Rovers: A New Breed of Hero
by Repicheep22
Summary: When the Road Rovers have to go save Muzzle and the Master, something goes terribly awry. However, the Master has a plan to get them out of there, it's just a matter of time.
1. Prologue Part 1

**Date: April 25, 1999**

**Location: Somewhere in the Amazon jungle**

The sounds of monkeys hooting overhead filled the air of the rainforest, and insects of every kind imaginable buzzed in the undergrowth. An oppressive heat stifled the air, making breathing a bit difficult for the five figures that tramped through the trees. Had anyone been around to see them, they would have puzzled at their appearance. Most of them appeared, for the most part, to be ordinary backpackers and could possibly have passed as such, were it not for the dog-like muzzles that peeked from under their hats and the furry tails that sprouted from their backsides.

One of the figures pushed back his hat and took a swig of water from his canteen. His face was covered in golden fur, looking like Labrador. He smiled and looked back at the others who were trailing behind.

"We're almost there, guys. Just over this hill," he said.

Another of the figures looked up, her collie-like face looking somewhat tired.

"That's good to hear," she said, a British accent on her voice. "We've been hiking for how long?"

"I still don't see why we couldn't have taken the Sky Rover, Hunter," said a heavy German voice from the back of the line.

The Labrador looked down at his companion and said, "We're trying to be stealthy, Blitz. We can't exactly sneak up on them with a jet, can we?"

"Plus, hiking is good for exercise," said another of the group, his voice laden with a thick Russian accent. He looked up at the female in the group. "Comrade Colleen, are you dokey-okey?"

The collie's breathing was heavy as she stood at the top of the ridge. "I'm fine, Exile, just tired, and a bit hungry."

The last member of the group muttered something incomprehensible as he reached into his voluminous coat of white fur. He pulled his hand out, holding a bag of trail mix and handed it to the collie.

"Thanks Shag," said the collie, as she ate a handful of the mixture.

Another few minutes of hiking and the five cano-sapiens were peering though the undergrowth at a rather large and well defended base. The soldiers that patrolled the walls looked like the beings crouched in bushes, only bigger, thicker, and uglier.

"Cano-mutants," said Hunter, his eyes narrowed. "Gotta be Parvo."

"Hate to say this, Huntie," said Colleen, as she pushed a branch aside, "but ole' Parvo's still in the clink. We checked before we left headquarters."

"Well, who could get bread claws on new transdogmafier?" wondered Exile.

"I think he means meat hooks," thought Hunter. "My guess is it's someone we haven't seen before," he said.

"Enough with the talking already, I want to bite some cano-mutant tooshies," Blitz said, extending his claws in anticipation.

Exile glared at him with contempt. "Don't be weird boy," he said.

"We can't exactly rush in there, guns-a-blazin'," said Colleen. "After all, if it's someone we haven't dealt with before, we don't know how he operates."

"Okay guys, spread out," said Hunter. "Scout around, but don't let yourselves be seen. Meet back here in twenty minutes. And remember, Master and Muzzle are in there, and they're counting on us."

* * *

The Road Rovers returned to their original hiding place and conferred on what they had seen. After a bit of discussion, Hunter called for silence.

"Okay guys, here's the plan. Blitz, Shag, and I will take a frontal assault. We'll rush the main gate and try to break through. Our main purpose will be to distract the guards while Colleen and Exile sneak in through that drainage pipe Colleen saw. From there, you two will try to find the Master and get him out of there. If we can bust in through the front, great, but we'll try to keep the guards occupied as long as we can. Alright?"

The others nodded.

"Okay, let's roll, Rovers!"

Moments later, the three males were rushing towards the front gate. Hunter rushed in and clothes-lined a cano-mutant. He then grabbed another and spun around at sonic speed, before releasing him at one of the guard towers. A set of satisfying screams filled the air as the tower collapsed. Shag charged into the fight, baring his teeth. Some of the mutants turned and ran; those that stayed fell victim to his powerful punches. Blitz leapt into a bunch of mutants with a spinning maneuver Colleen had taught him. He had taken some martial arts lessons from the collie to sharpen his combat skills. He bit one of the mutant's blasters in half, smiling as others ran in terror. As Hunter punched another mutant into oblivion, Shag pulled a bazooka out of his fur and aimed it at the front gate.

"Shag, the other –" Hunter exclaimed, mostly out of reflex. He stopped when he saw the sheepdog did, in fact, have it the right way around.

The rocket's explosion blew a hole in the front gate and threw several mutants off the wall. Hunter patted his friend's shoulder.

"Good job, buddy. Okay guys, let's get 'em!"

* * *

As you can probably tell, this is a Road Rover fan fiction. I loved that show when I was a kid, and after rediscovering it my freshman year of college, this idea popped into my head. I've got the first story arc done with, so there will be about 10 chapters to start with, and then a break as I work on the next arc.


	2. Prologue Part 2

Exile knelt in front of the drainage pipe and used his heat vision to cut through the metal grate that covered its front. Melting the last piece of metal, he grabbed the grate and set it in the pipe. The two Rovers could hear the sounds of battle out in the front. Colleen sighed.

"I wish I was out there with 'em," she said.

"So do I, but we are needing someone sneaky for this job," replied Exile.

Colleen nodded and the two Rovers began to walk down the tunnel. Before long, they found a grate that led to the floor above them. Colleen stood on Exile's shoulders and pushed up the grate ever so slightly.

"What are you seeing?" asked the husky.

Colleen whispered, "We're in luck, Exile. We found the security room. There's only a couple guards, so this should be easy."

With that, the collie leapt up through the grate and knocked out the guards before they even knew what was happening. She reached down and helped Exile up through the drain hole. Then, as the husky got to work on the security system, Colleen radioed Hunter.

"Colleen to Hunter, come in, Huntie."

A few seconds later, Hunter's voice came in over the radio. "Go ahead, Colleen."

"Exile and I have found the security room. How're you coming on hacking it, Exile?" she asked.

"Am almost finished, is piece of pie," said Exile, still typing away at the computer.

Colleen shrugged and turned back to the radio. "He's almost done, Huntie. How are things out there?"

"We've got most of the guards down. Whoever's running this place had almost all of them on the walls. We'll be inside shortly."

"Alright, have fun out there. Love you."

"Love you too, Colleen. Toodles!"

Colleen smiled as Hunter hang up. She and Hunter had been dating for a few months, and she had never been happier. Because of their relationship, Blitz had stopped hitting on the female Rover, but he always claimed it was because he had decided it was not worth being on the butt end of Colleen's karate kicks.

Exile pressed a few more buttons and exclaimed, "We are in!" Dozens of images appeared on the computer screens as security cameras all over the base fed their images to the Rovers.

"There's the front door," said Colleen. A moment later, a set of cuts appeared around the door's frame, and the door fell open, Blitz's claws shining a bit.

"Now we find Master and comrade Muzzle," said Exile, as he began to type again. Various images flashed back and forth, the husky's eyes taking in all of them. Finally, he stopped. There, in the center of a room, surrounded by dozens of guards was the Master, Muzzle, and another cano-sapien.

"They've got Professor Hubert too!" exclaimed Colleen. "Find out where that room is, and get some schematics for the building. I'm going to join the others."

"You bet-ski, comrade," Exile replied, as the collie left the room.

Just down the hall, the other Rovers were fending off dozens more guards.

"Where do they all come from?" asked Hunter, as he sent another mutant flying.

"Don't ask me," said Blitz. He bit another mutant's blaster in half and spit out the ammunition. "I'm just glad I have more tooshies to bite."

Shag was stuck in a corner, surrounded by at least a dozen mutants, all with their blasters pointed at him. He cowered down and covered his head. All of a sudden, he heard a loud battle cry and looked up to see Colleen kicking, flipping, and knocking out the mutants. He leapt up and embraced the female.

"Alright, you're welcome, Shag!" she wheezed. "Now put me down before you suffocate me!"

A super fast punch from Hunter downed the last guard. As the mutant hit the ground, his radio buzzed.

"Comrade Hunter, I have found where they are holding Master," said Exile.

"Perfect timing, pal," replied the Labrador. "Which way?"

"Go down hall until you come to knife in road. Take left hallway. Half way down is large double doors. Master, Muzzle, and Professor Hubert are sitting behind them."

"They've got Hubert too?" asked Blitz.

"Okay Exile, meet us there. We'll all go in together."

"You got it."

Hunter pocketed his radio and motioned for the others to follow him. The Rovers made their way down the hall, Exile joining them at the fork in the hallway. The double doors loomed in front of them, and Hunter turned to his team.

"Okay guys, we bust in and take down the guards. Then –" A soft whiz sounded as Hunter abruptly stopped talking. As he fell forward to the ground, the other Rovers looked up to see half a dozen human guards, armed with tranquilizer guns.

"Yet another unexpected twist," said Colleen, as a dart struck her in the arm.

"Bummer," finished Exile, before he too passed out on the ground.


	3. Prologue Part 3

"Oh, where am I?"

Hunter sat up, his back stiff from lying on the hard floor. He looked around, but in the dim light of the room, he could not see anything. He heard something stirring nearby.

"Hello, who's there?" said a voice.

"Master!" cried Hunter, as he rushed towards the sound. He stopped, when he encountered a set of iron bars.

"Hunter, is that you?" said the Master. He sounded weak and tired.

"Don't worry, Master. I'll rescue you."

"No, Hunter, you're the one who needs rescuing."

As if on cue, the lights in the chamber turned on with a loud snap. The sudden change in light caused Hunter to wince. His eyes slowly adjusted, and when they had, he gasped. All around him, the other Rovers were stuck in prison cells. He looked around and his eyes landed on one in particular.

"Colleen!" he exclaimed. She was in the cell next to him and lying unconscious by the bars that separated them. Hunter knelt down by the collie. He put his hand through the bars and grasped hers, holding it as he bit his lip to keep from sniffling.

"My, my, how touching," said a voice from behind him. Hunter turned towards the voice and staggered back at the face he saw outside the bars.

"P-Parvo?" he stammered, "but you're in jail."

"You're right, Hunter. I am in jail," the megalomaniac sneered, "but the Parvo you see here is not the Parvo in jail. You see, by the time I got out of prison, you lot were already dead. I had always wanted to catch and study you, and try to modify my transdogmafier to get the intelligence of the cano-sapiens and the strength of the cano-mutants into one package. But with the five of you dead, I never could. So, I spent several years in hiding, creating these cells, each specifically designed to hold you, and rebuilt my time machine. I travelled back to a point in time when you were alive and captured you." He chuckled. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to prepare for some experiments. And don't even try escaping. You can't; just ask your Master here. He knows all about them."

With a burst of laughter, Parvo left the room, but thankfully left the lights on.

Hunter turned to the Master and asked, "What does he mean, I can't escape? I mean, everything has a weak spot, right?"

The Master shook his head. "No, he's right. Each cage is specifically designed to counter each of your powers. Blitz's has an electrical current running through it. If he so much as touches it, he gets a thousand-volt shock, even more if he uses his claws. Exile's is a solid box made of a material so reflective, his eyebeams will have no effect at all. Shag's is a bubble made of material so flexible, no amount of strength will break it. Colleen's bars absorb any impact and redirect it away from the source. And yours is equipped with an inertia dampener. No matter how fast you try to run, the device will drain your speed away. As long as you're in there, you'll never get faster than ten miles per hour."

"Well, we can't just give up, Master. We're the Road Rovers, the world needs us."

The Master smiled. "Who said anything about giving up?" The scientist reached into his pocket and removed his wallet. "Parvo might be crazy, but he at least had the decency not to rob me." He pulled a card from his wallet. "This might look like a credit card, Hunter, but it's actually the Road Rovers' final fail safe. I made it for such a time as this. If I ever got captured along with the rest of our team, this device is the only means of getting rescued."

"But how?" asked Hunter. "What can that thing do?"

The Master smiled. "Just wait and see."

With that, he pushed a hidden button on the device. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then, Hunter could see energy swirling around the device. Within moments, a sphere of energy had spread from the card and was growing rapidly. Soon, the energy had spread throughout the underground floors of the base and was rising upwards. Within seconds, the entire base was surrounded by a shell of energy and had anyone been there to see inside the shell, they would have seen that time had stopped.

Back at Road Rover headquarters, a computer flared to life. Words could be seen on it screen as it responded to the transmission it had received.

_Transmission received.  
Rover failsafe initiated.  
Headquarters lockdown initiated.  
Counter started.  
Program Neo Rover commencing in 10 days.  
Protoc%k&1(.l€'=^_

Whether it was fate, destiny, or some amazing coincidence, a power surge swept through the headquarters at that exact moment, causing the computer to shut down. The computer turned back on, and the text continued.

_*u2#√p\ower surge protection failure.  
Program restart.  
Headquarters lockdown initiated.  
Counter started.  
Program Neo Rover commencing in 10 &$w%e.  
Protocol: Stop timer only when failsafe is deactivated._

* * *

No one had been in the cave since the shutdown. Inside the buildings, the only light that could be seen came from an old computer, its monitor flashing a countdown ran down its last, glowing in dim, green letters.

_0:00:30  
0:00:20  
0:00:10  
0:00:05  
0:00:04  
0:00:03  
0:00:02  
0:00:01  
0:00:00_

Instants later, screens all around the computer began to flare to life. Letters and numbers flowed like water across the screens. An image of the Earth appeared on one, and a pair of red lines began to crisscross the sphere. Red dots appeared on the globe as the lines moved back and forth. The globe began slowing down, and images of various dogs began scrolling along the side of the screen. Finally, five images rose to the top of the screen. Red lines grew down from them to various points on the globe. Lines of text formed at the bottom of the screen.

_Program Neo Rover activated.  
Canine retrieval initiated._


	4. The Heroes Arise

Chapter 1

The Heroes Arise

Honking horns filled the air as smog hung over the city. Manhattan, the city that never sleeps, was still suffering from insomnia. A lone dog, his ribs showing slightly under his black and white coat, was rummaging through a dumpster in the back of an alley. A van pulled alongside the alley, and two men got out. One carried a net, the other a tranquilizer gun. The Border collie saw the pair and backed away from them.

"Hey, fella," said one of the men, "you wanna come with us? We can take you someplace safe."

The collie lowered his head and began to growl. The dogcatchers stopped.

"Do you think he knows what we're doing?" asked the first man.

The second looked at his partner and replied, "He's just a dog. How can he –"

A bright flash of light cut him off. The pair looked back and saw the dog was gone.

"Where'd he go?" asked the first, a bewildered expression on his face.

* * *

The lights of downtown Victoria shone against the night sky. In one particular apartment building, all the windows were dim except one. A lanky human leaned over a computer, typing away at the seemingly random lines of code in front of him. A yawn escaped him as he leaned down to pet the female malamute curled up at his feet.

"I think I'll call it a night," he said. The dog yawned and stretched before getting up and trotting out the bedroom door.

"You always were a night person," said the human. "Just don't wake me up when you come back in," he called after the canine.

The malamute walked into the kitchen and made for her food bowl. She usually got the midnight munchies, and her master always made sure to leave some food in her bowl.

She had just started eating when she smelled something strange. She looked around, a confused look on her face. Then suddenly, she vanished in a flash of bright light.

* * *

A German shepherd whined at the door. Her master approached and chuckled.

"Alright, I'll let you out. Don't go too far," he said, in his native German.

The canine rushed out into the German countryside, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. She spotted a rabbit and rushed after it. It ran down a hole in the ground, and the dog began to dig after it. She raised her head up from the dirt as a new scent caught her attention. She looked around for its source when a bright light overtook her, and she vanished into thin air.

* * *

The Australian desert was hot under the sun as a pick-up truck ran down a dusty road. Two men rode in the front, music blaring from their stereo as dust flew up behind them. In the bed of the truck, a young dingo rode, his tongue lolling out to one side as the wind caught him in the face.

"I still can't believe yah think a dingo's gonna make a good dog," drawled the human on the left in his thick accent.

"Ah, come on, mate," said the driver, "give 'im a chance. My unc's the best dog breeder around. If he thinks this dingo's gonna be'ave 'imself when he's grown, then I'm gonna give 'im a chance."

"So, what're ya gonna call 'im?" said the first. "He – He's gone!"

"What!" exclaimed the driver, "where'd he go?"

* * *

A light dusting of snow covered the ground as the moon rose over the high mountain peaks. A large flock of sheep lay sleeping soundly near a mountain stream. On top of a stone outcropping, a large dog laid, his head between his paws. The Great Pyrenees surveyed his flock with utter devotion to his task. He knew one of his masters would be out shortly with some food. He looked up at the farmhouse just down the mountain and saw the door open.

A short portly woman stood silhouetted in the door frame for a moment before calling out, "Dinner's ready, come here boy." Her strong, French voice echoed off the mountains.

The Pyrenees got up, and, wagging his tail, made for the house. Only at meal times did he ever leave his post, and he loved the food his mistress always prepared. As he trotted towards the farm house, an unfamiliar scent caught his attention. He stopped and sniffed the air. Then suddenly, he vanished in a flash of light.

"Sacré bleu!" exclaimed the farm woman. "What was that?"

* * *

Road Rover base was alive with activity. Computers were running at full tilt, trying to make up for their time offline. The vehicles in the hanger had reactivated and were running diagnostic tests on themselves. In the main building, the five transdogmafiers turned on with an unusually smooth hum.

One of them began to release smoke as something was dropped into the device. The door opened and a cano-sapien fell out onto his hands and knees. He was clad in the Road Rovers' silver uniform, his black and white tail escaping the beltline. A look of amazement crossed the Border collie's face as he stared at his hands. He got up and looked down at his body, now tall, lean, and muscular.

"What…what happened to me?" he said. He clapped his hand over his mouth at the sound of his own voice. "I…I can talk?"

A hiss sounded behind him, interrupting his thoughts. He turned to see another machine open its door. From inside, another cano-sapien stepped out, this one a female. Her face and tail resembled a malamute's, and the Border collie was now even more confused.

"You're…like me?" he said.

The malamute turned to him. She was at a loss for words at the sight of another bipedal dog. Before she could utter a word, the other three machines activated almost simultaneously. From inside stepped three more cano-sapiens, a female German shepherd, a male dingo, and a male Great Pyrenees. For a moment, all five just stared at each other. Finally, the dingo spoke.

"What in blazes is goin' on 'ere?" he said, his own voice startling himself.

"Welcome Rovers," said a voice from above.

The dogs looked up to see a man standing on a balcony. His eyes glowed white, and his shoulder-length white hair shifted as he turned his head.

"Welcome Rovers," said the man again, "welcome to Headquarters. You have been called here because I, and the world, need your help."

* * *


	5. Introductions

Chapter 2

Introductions

The five dogs stared up at the human for a few moments, none quite sure what to say. Finally, the German shepherd broke the silence.

"Um, pardon me," she said, "but vhat exactly can ve do? Ve're just dogs."

"On the contrary, my dear," said the man, "as you can see by the change in your bodies, you are now much more. You are now cano-sapiens, human/dog hybrids with special abilities."

"So we're superheroes?" asked the Border collie.

"Yes, you are," said the man, a smile crossing his face, "but before you get all excited, I need to let you all know that this is a dangerous job. I want you to know that you could be severely injured or worse should you accept this job. However, I am fully aware that many of you may have lives and masters elsewhere in the world, and I do not wish to take those away from you. If you wish to leave, say the word and you will be sent back to where you came from."

The cano-sapiens stood for a moment, contemplating what the man had just said. The Border collie was the first to speak.

"I'm willing. Heck, I'm a stray, and getting super powers sounds like a pretty good alternative," he said.

The dingo was next. "I'm willing. I may be young, but why should that stop me?"

The malamute spoke next. "I have a master, but if being…this helps save the world, then I'm saving him, too. I'm in."

The shepherd sighed and said, "My master vill be vorried sick, but this von't be the first time I've been gone for a few days. Count me in."

Everyone turned to the Pyrenees, who rolled his eyes and spoke. "Alright, I'll help, but I don't want to abandon my master or mistress. Zhey care for me deeply, and I would hate to hurt zhem."

The man on the balcony smiled and said, "Don't worry, my friend. You Rovers always have had a knack for getting out of tight spots."

"You mean there are more of us?" asked the border collie.

The man sighed, "More on that later. Right now, I think you should all introduce yourselves. State your name, country of origin, and a bit about yourself."

The malamute began. "My name's Alexandra, Alex for short. I'm from Canada, and my master is a professional hacker."

The Border collie went next. "Hi everyone, I'm Gavin. I'm from New York, New York, and my favorite pastime is dumpster diving."

"G'day everyone," said the dingo, "I'm from Australia, and my name's Tasmanian, Taz for short. I'm just over a year and a 'alf years old (in human years), and I was adopted three hours afore I was brought 'ere."

The German shepherd followed. "Guten tag," she said, "My name is Sylvia, and I am from Germany. I live alone with my master, who is a doctor, and love to hunt rabbits."

"Bonjour," said the Pyrenees, "my name is Anton, and I am from southern France. I stay with my master's sheep nearly all day, as I am a guard dog."

Gavin grumbled something incomprehensible.

"What was that?" asked Alex.

"I said, 'Great, we've got a Frenchie on our team.'"

Anton's face grew sullen as he walked over to the smaller dog. "Listen American," he said, jabbing his finger in Gavin's chest, "just because you people like to call us 'Frenchies' cowards, doesn't mean we are. I've fought off more wild animals than you can, How do you say it? Shake a stick at."

"_Dear lord, does he ever bath? He's probably filthy."_

"Okay, geez!" exclaimed the collie, "no need to insult my hygiene. I get it, okay?"

"He didn't –" Sylvia started. An idea crossed her mind. "Anton, vhat vere you thinking just now?"

"Zhat he was probably…" his voice trailed off as his eyes widened.

Sylvia suddenly grabbed Gavin's hand. He turned to her with a shocked look.

"Look, you're cute, but this is –"

"Oh don't be ridiculous. Look me in the eye and listen."

The two dogs stared at each other for a few seconds before they turned to the others.

"It seems we've discovered our first super power. I'm psychic," said Gavin.

"Uh…" Taz looked a bit confused.

"He can read minds," said Sylvia, Taz nodded in understanding, "and it seems physical contact and eye contact make it easier. He might even be able to control other people's thoughts."

"Well done Rovers," said the man on balcony, "now let me introduce myself. I am Doctor Shepherd, creator of the Road Rovers."

"Pleased to meet you," said Gavin, "now about these other Rovers."

"Of course," said Doctor Shepherd, "just head through those doors," he pointed to his right, "and I'll meet you in the briefing room."

As the Rovers made their way towards the large doors, Alex tapped Taz on the shoulder.

"Is it just me," she said, "or does a lot of this equipment seem…old?"

"Nah, I noticed it, too," replied the dingo, "looks like the place 'asn't 'ad an upgrade in years."

The doors parted, and the Rovers found themselves in a large room, a great table occupying the majority of the floor space. Doctor Shepherd stood on a smaller balcony, just above the ground, and as the Rovers sat down, he began to speak, his speech accompanied by images on the large screen beside him.

"The original Road Rovers were my first creations. Using the transdogmafier, I took five ordinary dogs, and created a team of heroes. Hunter, the Labrador; Colleen, the collie; Blitz, the Doberman; Exile, the husky; and Shag, the sheepdog – they were a great team. For four years, they helped protect the world from maniacs like General Parvo, a feline mutant bent on world domination; and Zachary Storm, a madman bent of destroying the US simply for being discharged from the military. The Rovers' latest assignment was a rescue mission to the Amazon jungle. Three of their closest friends had been captured. A dog named Muzzle, another cano-sapien named Hubert, and a human called the Master. Unfortunately, the very fact that you are here means that the Rovers have been captured as well."

"What is zhat supposed to mean?" asked Anton.

The doctor continued, "The Master carried a device on him at all times, his final failsafe. If he and all the Rovers were captured, he would activate it, creating a time-compression bubble around the device, essentially stopping time. This way, no one could get to the Rovers without first stepping into the bubble, but doing so would cause that person to be stuck in time as well. The device also sent out a signal to this base, telling it to lock down and set a timer. This was just in case the Master activated the device by mistake; he could access the headquarters and stop the countdown."

"What was the countdown for?" asked Alex.

"Program Neo Rover," said Shepherd, "if no one deactivated the countdown before the ten days were up, headquarter's computers would initiate the program which would search the world for a new team of Rovers. It would be these Rovers' job to rescue the original Rovers and get them back to headquarters."

"So, is that our first mission?" asked Gavin.

Shepherd shook his head. "Not exactly, I can't have you rushing in there without knowing what you are capable of. I knew the original Rovers' powers right off the bat because I chose them myself. With you, you were chosen by a computer. So before you run off into the jungle, we're going to have to find out your powers. So, your first assignment is, a) to get acquainted with the base and with each other, and b) to figure out what you are capable of. The Road Rovers won't be in any danger, as they are stuck in time. To them, virtually no time will have passed, so take your time.

"Neo Rovers, you are dismissed."

* * *


	6. Something's Wrong

Chapter 3

Something's Wrong

The Neo Rovers filed out of the briefing room, each with their own thoughts, and Gavin with everyone else's.

"_I wonder what my powers are."_

"_That Blitz looked awfully cute."_

"_I want to look over the computers."_

"_I wonder if zhere's anything to eat, around here?"_

"Argh," Gavin gripped his head and stopped in his tracks.

"Are you alright, Gavin?" asked Alex.

The Border collie grimaced. "No, I'm not," he wheezed, "I'm hearing everyone's thoughts, and it's giving me a headache."

"Just a little while ago, you had to look someone in the eye," said Taz. "What changed?"

"When I looked Sylvia in the eye, I heard her thoughts, and I couldn't stop. Then I made eye contact with the rest of you, and now your thoughts are playing like one of those annoying songs that gets stuck in your head."

"Maybe you should try getting away from us," said Sylvia, "and try to think about something else."

"I'll do that," said Gavin, as he walked away from the group.

Just then, Anton's stomach growled. "I think I'll try to make something to eat. Is anyone else hungry?"

Taz nodded energetically. "I'm starved, mate. I'll 'elp you out in the kitchen."

The two males left, leaving the females to themselves.

"Well, how do you think ve should go about finding our powers?" asked Sylvia.

"Maybe we could look over the old Rovers' files," said Alex. "Maybe we can learn something from there."

"Good idea."

The females made their way to the Rover's main computer. Alex sat down and pressed the on button.

Sylvia leaned on the frame and asked, "Do you know how to use this?"

"My master's a professional hacker," Alex replied. "I've watched him enough to know how to work a computer."

After a full minute, Alex sighed, "What's taking it so long?"

Finally, it booted up. Alex scanned the screen.

"This doesn't make any sense," she murmured.

"Vhat's wrong?" asked Sylvia.

"The clock on this thing is off. It says it's 1999."

Alex typed a few things into the keyboard. Her face grew more perplexed as she continued to type. Her face slowly changed from confusion to one of dismay.

"Vhat's the matter?" asked Sylvia, concerned for her teammate.

"Something's terribly wrong. The –"

A loud scream cut into her train of thought. The females turned to see Anton running in from the kitchen, his fur singed, Taz following behind him.

"What happened?" asked Alex.

"It seems zhat Taz here has found his super power," said Anton, brushing a patch of soot from his fur.

"I can blast fire!" exclaimed Taz. To emphasize the point, he snapped his fingers, and balls of flame appeared on his hands.

"Zhe only problem is, he used it on zhe food we found."

"I swear; I saw it move. I've never seen such rotten food, and trust me I've seen some rank stuff."

"That just proves it," Alex murmured.

"Proves vhat?" asked Sylvia.

"I accessed the mainframe to find some information on the original Rovers and found something terrible. Someone get Gavin; he needs to see this, too."

A minute later, Taz returned with Gavin in tow.

"So, what's wrong?" asked Gavin, still rubbing his forehead.

"Look at this," said Alex. She pulled up some lines of text.

_Headquarters lockdown initiated.  
Counter started.  
Program Neo Rover commencing in 10 &$w%e.  
Protocol: Stop timer only when failsafe is deactivated._

"So, what wrong?" asked Anton.

"See this jumbled word here," Alex pointed to the third line, "I did some data searching and found something. It seems a power surge went through the system as this program was running and corrupted some of the data. Guys, the reason all the equipment here is so old, the reason this computer is so slow, the reason the food is so rotten, is because the timer was changed. It wasn't set for ten days; it was set for ten years."

* * *


	7. Ten Years?

Chapter 4

Ten Years?

At first, the Rovers just stared at each other, not believing what they had just heard.

"So you're saying the guys we're supposed to rescue have been stuck in time somewhere in the jungle for ten years?" asked Gavin.

"I'm afraid so," said Alex.

"Then why didn't Doctor Shepherd tell us?" asked Taz.

"He acted like everything vas normal," said Sylvia.

"I'll go ask him," asked Gavin, their thoughts were starting to filter into his head again, and he wanted to get away before he got another migraine.

He entered the briefing room, where they had last seen Doctor Shepherd. He was not there.

"Doctor?" called Gavin.

The big screen flared to life, and the doctor's face appeared on it.

"Yes, Gavin?" said Shepherd. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh, well, Alex found something kinda bad. The Rovers have been trapped in South America for ten years. We were just wondering if you knew that and for some reason didn't tell us. And if you did, why you haven't upgraded your headquarters since they disappeared."

"Don't worry about how long it's been, Gavin. They're perfectly safe."

"Yeah, but –"

"Don't worry so much. Now, get back to training, so you can go rescue them."

Gavin shrugged and returned to the other Neo Rovers.

"Well, vhat did he say?" asked Sylvia.

"He said not to worry, that they're perfectly safe," replied the Border collie.

"Maybe 'e's right," said Taz. "After all, if they're stuck in time, it probably don't matter 'ow long they've been there."

"Okay then," said Alex, turning to the computer, still a bit perplexed at the situation, "I'll see if I can dredge up some old training simulations from the old Rovers time here."

* * *

"Ha, too slow, Taz!" exclaimed Gavin, as he dodged another of the dingo's fireballs.

"This is no fair!" cried Taz. "You know my attacks before I throw them."

"Try thinking of something else," called Alex. "That might distract him." She and Sylvia were sparring in another corner. The two females found Colleen's old training simulations and had found they were both quite agile, though not quite on the same level as the original Rover.

Anton was laying into a punching bag on another side of the room. He spoke to Gavin though his heavy breathing. "You don't seem to have a headache anymore, mon ami. Is your mind too occupied with thoughts of rubbish?"

Gavin glared at the Pyrenees and ducked under another ball of fire. "As long as I'm focused on something," he said, "I can keep your thoughts from distracting me. Though with you, that's not much of a problem."

Taz was gathering an especially large fireball in his paws. "Well, focus on this, mate!"

And with that, he fired it. Gavin turned from Anton to see the fireball coming. He tried to dodge it, but it still caught him across the back. The fireball flew past the Border collie and struck a column. Without warning, the pillar began to creak. Gavin looked up and saw it was falling towards him. He tried to move, but the pain from the fireball sliced through his body, causing him to double over in pain.

"Gavin, look out!" cried Alex, as she ran towards him. She threw herself at the Border collie, knocking him out of the way of the falling pillar. The pillar crashed down with a sickening thud, burying the malamute in a pile of rubble.

"Alex!" cried Gavin.

He and the others began to dig through the rubble. Soon, they found her, caught beneath a gigantinc piece of rock. The Rovers tried to lift the huge piece of stone, but to no avail.

Taz broke down crying, "I'm so sorry!" he sobbed, as he buried his head in hands.

Suddenly, he heard a deep animalistic growl. He looked up, expecting to see one of the others snarling in his face. Instead, he saw Anton growling and straining at the boulder. Slowly, it began to rise from off Alex's body. Within seconds, the Pyrenees was holding the rock above his head. Sylvia rushed in and pulled Alex out of the remaining debris. She lifted the malamute in her arms and rushed out of the room.

"Anton, grab Gavin and follow me. They need medical help," she called behind her.

Grumbling, the Pyrenees lifted Gavin up, as the Border collie was growing faint.

"Taz," he wheezed. The dingo came in close, trying to hear what Gavin was saying. "I'm not mad at you, pal," Gavin said. "You didn't know that would happen. Just make sure Alex is okay. Alright?"

"I'll do that, mate," said the dingo. He looked up at Anton as Gavin winced under the Pyrenees' touch. "Let's get 'im to the medical bay."

When they arrived at the medical bay, they found Sylvia had already set up Alex on one of the beds. As Anton dropped Gavin on another bed, the German shepherd began to deftly check his vitals.

"He vill be alright," she said. "Other than the burn, he is fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Anton.

"My master is a doctor," said Sylvia. "I've picked up some things from him."

She rolled the unconscious Gavin onto his back and pulled back his uniform, revealing a nasty burn. She placed her hand on the injury and closed her eyes. Suddenly, her hand began to glow, and tendrils of green energy snaked around the wound. Within moments, a green glow had covered the burn, and when it faded, the wound was gone.

"Amazing!" said Anton.

"Did I do that?" asked Sylvia.

"Who else?" chuckled Taz.

Sylvia, still with a stunned look on her face, turned to Alex, whose bruised face was contorted in pain. She placed her hand on Alex's shoulder, and the same green energy began to coarse down her body, healing her injuries.

* * *

Alex opened her eyes and looked around.

"Where am I?" she wondered. All around her was bright white.

"Well done, Alex," said a voice behind her. "You've discovered your powers."

* * *


	8. The Mind and the Machine

Chapter 5

The Mind and the Machine

Alex turned and jumped back as she saw the person who had spoken.

"Doctor Shepherd?" she asked.

"Not exactly," said the doctor, "I'm just a hologram program made by the good doctor. You see, the real Doctor Shepherd, a.k.a. the Master, is stuck with the Road Rovers in the time compression field down in the Amazon. I was going to tell you eventually, but I guess you found out on your own."

"Where am I?" asked Alex, fear in her voice.

"Why inside the base's computer, of course. Apparently, your mind has the ability to interface with computers and other electronic devices, an ability known as technopathy. You must have subconsciously activated your powers to save yourself the pain of being crushed by half a ton of rock."

"What!?"

"See for yourself." The doctor motioned behind her where a large screen had appeared out of nowhere. "These are the images the security cameras took over the past few minutes."

Alex saw herself getting crushed by the pillar, Anton lifting it off her, and Sylvia healing her and Gavin.

"That's a relief," she said. "Well, now that we've all discovered our powers. Now, I guess we'll be heading off to rescue the other Rovers."

"Oh, that won't be necessary," said the doctor.

Alex turned to the hologram, confusion on her face. "But, that's the reason you brought us here. That's our mission."

The hologram laughed. "No my dear, that was the reason the Master created me, but that was not the reason I brought you here. You see, the Rovers were captured because they were incompetent. Had they truly been great heroes, they would have come back from their mission. Sitting in this computer for ten years has given me enough time to do some thinking."

"You knew about the length of the timer."

"Of course, but who am I to question my creator's sense of timing? After sitting here for a few years, I realized why he had made it so long. If the Rovers were captured, he wanted the world to forget them, as they would have proven to be incompetent. And when the world had forgotten about their heroes, new ones would arise, more powerful heroes who would take their place, namely you Neo Rovers."

"No, you don't understand. The timer was supposed to run for ten days, not ten years. A power surge corrupted the system and changed things," Alex narrowed her eyes. "including you. There's no way anyone would want a group of heroes to disappear just because they failed one time."

"Aw, you organics were always so irrational. Whether or not that was the Master's original intent, leaving the Rovers is what makes the most sense now. You must admit, the world _has _forgotten about the Rovers. It only makes sense for a newer, more powerful team to take their place."

"No, the Road Rovers are heroes, just like me, and heroes never abandon each other. I'm getting out of here and telling the others."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Alex." A pair of shackles rose from the floor and grasped Alex's ankles. "You're going to stay here until you decide to go along with my plans."

Alex looked back at the hologram in disgust. "You just told me that my mind can control electronic devices. What makes you think you can keep me here?"

She jerked on her shackles and broke them to shreds. Her eyes glowed with red fire as she threw her arm outwards. Bits of material formed around her arm, and within moments, a laser cannon had become affixed to her arm. She pointed it at the doctor.

"You are ten years out of date," she said. "I think it's time we deleted you."

The hologram smiled as he formed his own weapon. "Two can play at this game, my dear. If you insist on resisting, I'll just have to get rid of you. I can always find a replacement."

* * *


	9. Corrupted Programming

Chapter 6

Corrupted Programming

Gavin opened his eyes and was surprised to feel no pain. He reached around and felt his back. His burn was gone.

"Gavin!" exclaimed Taz. He rushed over and grabbed the Border collie in a bear hug. "You're alright, mate!"

"Hehe, good to see you, too," Gavin replied. He looked over at Alex. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"Well, she's been out for a few minutes, but Sylvia 'ealed you both, so she'll be fine."

"Sylvia healed us? So that's her power."

"Apparently, she –" He was cut off by a voice coming over the loudspeakers.

"No, the Road Rovers are heroes, just like me, and heroes never abandon each other. I'm getting out of here and telling the others."

Taz looked up in confusion. "That sounds like Alex," he said.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Alex," said another voice. "You're going to stay here until you decide to go along with my plans."

"And that sound like Doctor Shepherd," said Gavin.

Just then, Anton and Sylvia rushed in.

"Do you two hear vhat is coming over the speakers?" asked the German shepherd.

"Shh, we need to hear this," said Gavin.

"You just told me that my mind can control electronic devices. What makes you think you can keep me here?"

Gavin jumped from his bed as the others crowded around the unconscious Rover and placed his hand on Alex's forehead. A moment later, his head jerked up and he exclaimed, "Alex is inside the computer. She's being held hostage by Doctor Shepherd!"

"You are ten years out of date. I think it's time we deleted you," Alex said over the loudspeaker.

"The doctor is actually a hologram," continued Gavin. "He's trying to keep us from finding the Road Rovers."

"Two can play at this game, my dear. If you insist on resisting, I'll just have to get rid of you. I can always find a replacement."

"We have to help her," said Anton, "but how can we?"

A determined look grew on Gavin's face. "Everyone, touch me."

Anton looked at him in utter disbelief, and Taz looked at his teammate with concern on his face.

"Uh mate," he said, "I don't think this is –"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not sure if this will work, but I might be able to combine my abilities with Alex's to pull the rest of our minds into cyberspace."

"It just might work," said Sylvia.

She laid her hand his shoulder, as did Anton, albeit hesitantly. Taz placed his hand on Gavin's arm and nodded. Gavin closed his eyes and concentrated. Straining with his psychic abilities, he reached into Alex's mind. Throwing back his head, he let out an animalistic howl as he felt his mind being pulled from his body.

Lights and images flew though his field of vision as he was thrown through a dark tunnel. Looking around, he saw the other Neo Rovers flying alongside him. He smiled as they saw him, and he gave them a thumbs-up as they hurtled onward.

At the end of the tunnel, they could see a bright light. A number of clichés ran through Gavin's head, but he pressed onward, knowing that this time, he _wanted _to follow the light. Instants later, they were thrown out and landed in a pure white landscape. Gavin looked up and saw Alex looked in a shootout with the Doctor Shepherd hologram.

"Alex!" cried Gavin as he ran for the malamute, the rest of the team following close behind.

Both combatants turned to see the other Rovers approaching. As the other Rovers reached the two, Alex smiled.

"Thanks for coming guys," she said. She threw out her arm and each of them received cyber weapons of their own.

"Five against one," said the hologram, "that hardly seems fair." He raised his hand and four other versions of himself appeared, each a bit different than the others. "There, that should even the odds."

Gavin snarled as he said, "Listen, 'Doctor,' we don't care what you _think _we ought to be doing, but we _are_ going to find the Road Rovers. So, I'll give you one last chance to stand down before we beat you into a cybernetic pulp."

One of the doctors sighed, "You five had such potential. You could have been great heroes, but you can't see past that pathetic, illogical loyalty that strangles your species. Sometimes I wonder why the Master picked dogs."

* * *


	10. Debugging

Chapter 7

Debugging

"Okay, but don't say we didn't warn you," said Gavin.

The Rovers lined up, as did the doctors. Neither side moved for a moment, then both teams charged.

Gavin fired his weapon at the nearest hologram, a wave of energy lacing through the air. The doctor threw up a shield and blocked the wave. Taz lunged at another hologram, throwing fireballs as he went. The doctor dodged the waves of heat and countered with a bolt of energy that grazed the dingo's shoulder. Sylvia fell to the ground as a hologram lunged at her. The two grappled with each other, trying to catch the other in a lock. Anton grabbed another by the leg and swung him around. Somehow, the hologram managed to aim his weapon and blast the Great Pyrenees in the gut. Anton stumbled back and dropped the hologram. Alex was once again dodging potshots from one of the holograms, ducking and rolling while trying to land a hit on her attacker. She soon found herself fighting back to back with Gavin.

"These guys are pretty tough," said Gavin.

"Tell me about it," replied Alex. "Thanks for coming. I wasn't sure if it'd work."

"Well, good thing it did, or you would have been cyber-toast."

Alex threw up a forcefield around them, and the two stopped to catch their breath.

"How do we beat these guys?" she said.

Gavin shook his head. "I don't know," he said. Suddenly, his expression lifted. "Alex, you can control machines, right?"

"Yeah," Alex said, confused at his question.

"And I'm psychic, so if we combine our powers, like how I got the rest of us in here, we might be able to control the holograms."

"It's worth a try," said Alex.

Gavin stood behind Alex and placed his hands on the side of Alex's head. With that, they both closed his eyes. Moments later, the two began glowing. At that same moment, the holograms had broken through Alex's forcefield. The two of them fired off a volley of rounds, but the energy bounced off the pair of Rovers.

Alex's eyes snapped open, glowing with the same purple light that surrounded her and Gavin. She threw her arm forward, and the holograms stopped in their tracks. It was evident on their faces that they were trying to fight what was happening to them, but in mere seconds, the two holograms were under Alex's control, the same light emanating from their eyes. They turned and walked towards their counterparts and began hurling energy bolts at them.

"What are you –" asked one of them, but he was cut off as he too came under Alex's control, his eyes glowing the same shade of purple as the rest of them.

The other Rovers' faces went from confused to smug as they saw what was happening. They fell on the other two holograms with a vengeance, now with the odds on their side. The remaining holograms grunted as they came under the assault of six other fighters. The pair could only take so many hits from fists, fireballs, and energy blasts before they could no longer hold themselves together and they burst into tiny bits of information.

The remaining holograms then turned on each other, pumping each other full of energy bolts until two of them fell apart in a pile of data. The last hologram's eyes flickered as Alex released control. As the Rovers surrounded the 'doctor,' he looked around in fear.

"No, you can't do this, my, my logic is flawless," he stammered.

"True, you're logic is perfect, but you forgot one thing," said Gavin. "We're dogs, and we're loyal to our friends and our pack." All the Rovers pointed their weapons at the hologram and, with one blast, deleted the corrupted program.

Gavin nodded as he looked around at his teammates. "Well guys, I think we're ready to rescue the Rovers. What do you think?"

Anton nodded. "We are most definitely ready, but first, we need to return to our bodies."

"Not a problem," replied the Border collie. Throwing out his hand again, a vortex opened in the endless white expanse.

As the other Rovers left, Gavin grabbed Alex by the shoulder.

"Wait a second, Alex," he said.

"Something wrong?" she asked, concerned for her friend.

"No, nothing's wrong, it's just," he looked at the ground, bashfully, "thank you for saving me."

Alex hugged the Border collie. "It's no big deal," she said. "And if I hadn't, we never would have found the doctor hologram."

As Alex leapt through the vortex, Gavin sighed and shook his head. No, now was not the time.

"Perhaps after we've found the other Rovers," he thought, as he too returned to reality.

* * *

This will be the last update for a while. Hope you've all enjoyed the ride so far.


	11. Finding Clues

**Well, it's been a long time, but _Neo Rovers _is back. Once again, I've completed the next story arc, which is eight chapters long. I'll be posting a new chapter every Saturday. HOpe you all enjoy it!**

* * *

The Neo Rovers jolted awake with a start, Gavin's hands still on Alex's head and the other's hands still on his shoulders. They broke apart as Alex sat up on the bed, rubbing her head.

"That was somethin', mates," said Taz.

"It certainly vas," said Sylvia. "So, now vhat do we do?"

"I say we start looking for clues to what happened to the Rovers and how we can rescue them," said Gavin.

"I'll start data-mining," said Alex. "There's bound to be something in the computer we can use."

"Maybe zhe rest of us should look for other clues," said Anton.

"Okay, Anton, you and Sylvia check around the living quarters," said Gavin. "Taz and I will look around the hanger."

_Who died and made him leader? Well, at least he doesn't want to go with me._

Anton's thoughts filtered into Gavin's head, as he and Taz made their way to the hanger. Gavin turned and glared back at the Pyrenees retreating figure, and Taz looked at his teammate questioningly.

"Is there somethin' between you and Anton?" he asked. "You two 'ardly know each other, and yer at each others' throats."

Gavin replied, "Americans and the French haven't ever gotten along well, even though we saved their sorry butts in two world wars. American's usually see Frenchies as stuck-up cowards, and the French see Americans as uncouth barbarians. And it's kinda hard to shed stereotypes, especially when every late-night TV personality uses them."

Confused, Taz cocked his head, as dogs tend to do. "I thought you said you were a stray," he said.

Gavin's face grew a bit of a nervous look as he replied, "Oh, yeah, well, I did have a master at one point, but it just wasn't my thing. I'm a street dog at heart."

Taz nodded as they entered the hanger. Lights flew on with a bang as Gavin flipped the switch. A number of vehicles could be seen scattered about, some designed for air travel, some for land travel, and a few for the sea. But the common theme amongst them all was many of them were shaped like dogs.

"Did Doctor Shepherd have some sort of dog obsession?" Gavin asked. "I mean, who builds a jet and paints it like a greyhound?"

"'e might 'ave," said Taz, motioning to a display panel. It had a list of names running down its length, each with a light and button next to it. "Look at these things' names: Sky Rover, Cloud Rover, Street Rover, Sub Rover. I think the bloke needed to expand 'is vocabulary."

"Yeah, but look," Gavin said, pointing at the list. "Each one has a green light by it, except this one which is red, the Stealth Rover." He pushed the button and a mechanical voice spoke.

"Stealth Rover, not located in hanger. Locating." The voice fell silent for a moment, and then continued. "Stealth Rover location: Coordinates 03, 30'06.23"S, 65, 48'02.73"W." A panel slid back, revealing a screen on the wall beside the chart that showed a picture of the planet and the point it had indicated.

Gavin smiled. "I think this got a lot easier."

"'ow's that, Gav?" asked Taz.

"Well, see," Gavin continued, "the only reason the Stealth Rover wouldn't be in the hanger is if the original Rovers had taken it on a mission, and since they never came back from their last one, that's got to be the place where they went when they disappeared."

"That's bloomin' brilliant, mate!" Taz exclaimed.

"Come on; let's see if we can't find anything else in here. Then, let's go tell the others."

Taz nodded as he turned from the screen and made for the Sky Rover. There was bound to be something interesting in there.

An hour later, Taz and Gavin made their way back to the main room where they found Alex typing away at the computer.

"Any luck?" asked Gavin, as the door closed behind them.

Alex nodded as she continued to type. "I've found some pretty useful stuff, like some basic tutorials on piloting the different craft. Interestingly, most of them are named something –"

"– Rover," finished Taz. "We noticed that in the hanger. What else 'ave you found?"

"I've found some pretty useful info, though not a whole lot that can help us rescue the others. I was hoping to find maybe a reversal program for the Master's time device, but so far, nothing."

"Well, if anyone can find it, it's probably you," said Gavin, rubbing the back of his neck.

Alex flashed him a smiled. "Thanks," she said as she resumed typing.

"Did you ever think of using your, er, what was your power called again?" asked Taz.

"Technopathy," replied Alex, "and yes, I'd thought of using it, but I'm just looking for information. And I can do that fine with just my fingers."

"Oh," Taz seemed a bit perplexed for a moment, but his perpetual grin quickly returned.

The three passed a moment in silence, before they heard a call from down the hall.

"My friends! Come quickly," they heard Anton shout. "You must see this!"

The three Rovers swiftly made their way down the hall, following Anton's voice. They soon arrived at what they could only guess had been Doctor Shepherd's living quarters. The room seemed to be divided into two halves, one for living, the other for experimenting. And while the living side was very neat and impeccably organized, the laboratory side was a near disaster zone. Half finished experiments and scribbled blueprints lay scattered all over, but this was not what drew the Rovers' attention. Along the back wall, four impressive-looking uniforms hung from a rack. The lamplight of the room glistened off their helmets, while the black material they were made from seemed to have an otherworldly luster to them. And above them sat a sign, its writing haphazardly scrawled on a sheet of notebook paper, and it said, "Time Compression Suits."

"This is it," said Gavin. "This is what we need to save the Road Rovers."

"If I run over the Master's files," said Alex, "maybe I can find how to use them."

"Great, Alex," said Taz, "but shouldn't there be five?"

"There are five, mon ami," said a voice behind them.

The three Neo Rovers turned to see Anton, wearing the fifth suit, a wry smirk on his face.

"He wanted to try it himself," said Sylvia, from inside the room, "to make sure they still functioned after all this time."

Without a moment's notice, Anton pressed a button on the suit's wrist and vanished before their eyes. The next instant, he reappeared next to the German Shepherd.

"And they work perfectly," he said. "They allow your personal time to be sped up, to ridiculous rates."

"Ooh! Let me try!" exclaimed Taz, rushing to try on another suit.

"Hold on there, fireboy," said Gavin, grabbing his shoulder, "we don't want you messing them up. Thanks for checking, Anton, but I think it would have been better if you'd just waited."

"Why, so you could be the first?" the Great Pyrenees crossed his arms in annoyance.

Gavin's palm met his face with a slap.

"No!" he exclaimed, "if something had gone wrong, you could have been killed!"

Anton snarled back, "Well, I was not. They are working."

"I just –"

"Hey, ease up, guys," said Alex, looking up from the Master's computer. "Gavin's right, Anton. That could have been dangerous, but it says here that they were designed to withstand long periods of exposure, since they're supposed to allow you to walk through a time barrier. So you shouldn't be in any danger."

Gavin rolled his eyes at Anton's smile of triumph.

"Well, whatever," he said, "it looks like we're all set to head out."

"Did you find where the Rovers are?" asked Sylvia.

"Sure did, mate," said Taz. "They're stuck somewhere in the Amazon jungle."

"We found the coordinates of the vehicle they took," said Gavin. "They should be somewhere near there."

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" asked Alex. "Let's get these suits on and take to the skies."

Gavin took one of the suits and made his way back to the hanger with the others. He could sense the uncertainty in all his teammates' minds, but amongst the scattered thoughts he was hearing, he felt a sense of determination. Personal differences aside, defeating the corrupted AI Master together had strengthened their unity.

"We're a team now," he thought, "Even Anton. Yes, even Anton."


	12. Military Might

Gavin and Alex ran over the last of the checklist as he and the other Neo Rovers got settled in the Sonic Rover. The six-seat jet's engines hummed as they prepared for takeoff. As Alex checked the final instrument, he turned back in his seat.

"You guys ready?" he asked.

The others nodded.

"I am all set," said Sylvia.

"Let's get going, mate!" exclaimed Taz, almost bouncing in his seat.

"Ready when you are, psychic boy," said Anton, resting his arms behind his head.

"Everything seems to be working fine," said Alex, strapping herself in.

She smiled and nodded at the Border collie.

"Let's rescue the Road Rovers."

"Right, here goes."

Gavin took the yoke and pushed the accelerator forward. The engines' hum grew to a roar as the jet rushed out of the hanger and into the sky. Gavin gulped nervously as he pulled the jet onto a level course. Alex had put the coordinates into the jet's computer, and, when he pressed the autopilot button, it turned towards their goal.

"Well, that…wasn't so bad," he stuttered, leaning back in his chair. "Hey Alex, when does it say we'll arrive?"

Alex briefly browsed over the panel of readouts.

"It says about five hours," she replied. "Wow, so that means we'll going somewhere above Mach 2, once we get out over the ocean."

Gavin gave her a blank look.

"That's over twice the speed of sound," she replied.

"Oh, okay."

Gavin leaned back again and smiled. Hopefully, this would go over without a hitch.

* * *

"Sir, I've got something here."

"What is it, Pierce?"

Lieutenant Pierce looked down at the radar screen in front of him. Around him, dozens of other soldiers could be seen, talking to troops, relaying information, directing fighters. In short, it looked like a normal day at the Holloman Air Force Base. But, if what Pierce saw was real, things were about to get much more interesting.

"Sir, we've got a bogy," replied the lieutenant.

Colonel Allen leaned over Pierce's shoulder.

"Where's it coming from?" he asked. "Somewhere in Mexico?"

"No sir, it just appeared, right in the middle of New Mexico."

The colonel's eyebrows rose at that.

"Well then, we'd better get someone out there," he said.

* * *

An alarm blared in the Sonic Rover, startling the dozing Rovers awake.

"What's happening?" asked Sylvia.

Gavin and Alex leaned over the controls for a few moments, trying to see where the alarm was coming from. Alex found it first.

"There's something following us, and it's coming up fast," she said.

"Ooh, ooh, who is it?" asked Taz. "Is it the military?"

"Most likely," said Gavin. He scratched his forehead, though he was noticeably tense. "What should we do?"

The question was answered when Alex suddenly turned on the radio.

" – f you do not allow these planes to escort you back to base, we will have to open fire. I repeat, if you do not allow these planes to escort you back, they will open fire."

Anton gave Alex an odd look.

"I…I heard the broadcast with my powers and turned it on for you guys to hear," she mumbled.

"I guess that answers my question," said Anton.

"What? We're not going to fight?" Taz's hands flared for a moment.

Gavin gave the dingo an incredulous look.

"Do you really want to fight the United States' military when we barely know how to fly this thing and only got our powers a few days ago?" he asked.

Taz thought for a moment.

"Good point, mate," he replied.

Sighing, Gavin turned off the autopilot as a pair of jet pulled up alongside the Sonic Rover. He followed the jets as they turned and made their way back to the Holloman Air Force Base.

* * *

Colonel Allen stood out on the tarmac, watching as the two escort pilots landed. They were followed by the strangest aircraft he had ever seen.

"Is…is that painted like…a greyhound?" he asked.

A soldier standing near him replied, "Yes, yes it is, sir."

As the entrance ramp dropped from the Sonic Rover, a dozen soldiers surrounded it, their guns trained on the door. Moments later, the Neo Rovers emerged, their hands over their heads. A collective gasp ran though everyone present.

"What…are they?" thought Colonel Allen.

He shook his head.

"We'll worry about it later," he thought.

"Alright men, put 'em in the slammer for now," he barked. "We'll talk to them later," he said to himself.

Gavin winced as a rifle poked him in the back.

"This is not going according to plan," he thought. "Alex, can you hear me?" he said, sending a telepathic message to the malamute.

"I hear you, Gavin," came the mental reply. "What should we do?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait. I really don't want the military on our bad side."

"Hey Torres!" called the guard behind him. "Stop staring and help us out here!"

* * *

Later that night, the Rovers' ears and tails drooped as they sat around their jail cell. As a sniffle reached her ears, Sylvia looked up from her seat towards Taz. The dingo, having slumped in one of the corners, sat curled up on himself. She saw him shake and scooted towards him.

"Taz, are you alright?" she asked.

The dingo looked up at the German Shepherd and wiped a hand across his muzzle.

"What's gonna happen to us?" he whimpered.

Sylvia put an arm around the sniffling dingo.

"I don't know, but we are going to get out of here," she said.

"You promise?" Taz asked, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Slyvia smiled.

"_Ja, _I promise. Now get some sleep. You will need your rest if we are going to escape."

Taz smiled and closed his eyes. He leaned his head against the German Shepherd's shoulder and sighed.

"He's barely even a puppy," she thought, looking down at his golden face, "and he gets thrown in prison. I just wish we could find some way to escape."

* * *

Sylvia jolted awake, something having disturbed her after dozing off. She looked down at Taz, who had since curled up and snuggled next to her. She smiled for a moment, then something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Turning, she saw a soldier standing outside the bars to their cell. But, he was not standing guard; rather, he seemed to be watching them with rapt fascination.

"Hello?" he said, a slight Hispanic accent coloring his speech.

Sylvia's eyebrow raised for a moment.

"What it is it you want?" she asked.

The soldier did not say a word, but instead, opened the cell door and entered. Sylvia took a glance at the open door behind him, but she quickly decided that she had better stay put. The soldier came closer and knelt next to her.

"Are you…Road Rovers?" he asked.

Sylvia's eyes grew wide with shock.

"How does he know?" she thought.

"Why do you want to know?" she queried.

The soldier sighed.

"I know you five are not the Rovers I remember," he said, "because they were among the first things I ever saw. My name is Luka Torres, and I was born blind. When I was only ten years old, the Road Rovers came to my village, seeking the mystical Pyramid of Hope. Their enemies captured my dog, Oso, and the Road Rovers went to rescue him. They found him and the pyramid, and because of Oso's pure heart, the pyramid granted him one wish. It was that I would receive my sight. The next morning, I woke up and saw the world for the first time. The Road Rovers returned to my village with Oso and told me what had happened.

"After that day, I never saw them again, but I heard many stories about them. And then, the stories stopped coming, but I never forgot them. Hunter, Colleen, Blitz, Shag, and Exile – they were my heroes, long after they had gone. When I was sixteen, my family and I were fortunate enough to be able to move to the United States. I secretly hoped that I might see the Rovers again, but they seemed to have disappeared. So, if you can, tell what happened to them…please."

Sylvia's eyes were by now as wide as saucers. What other adventures had the Rovers had?

She shook her head, clearing her swirling mind.

"As far as we know," she said, "the Road Rovers have been trapped in the Amazon jungle in some sort of time bubble. It has been ten years since they became trapped there, but only a few seconds on the inside. We were on our way to free them when your commander made us land here."

"Then we need to get you out of here," said Luka. "Wake the others. I will be back."

Luka turned and left the cell, while Sylvia quietly shook Taz awake.

"Hey, Taz, wake up," she said, gently shaking his shoulders.

"Hmm, five more minutes, mum," he mumbled.

"Taz, wake up. I think we're going to get out of her."

The dingo's ears perked up.

"Really!" he exclaimed.

"Shh, not so loud, help me wake the others."

Soon, the other Neo Rovers were awake, and Sylvia explained, as quickly as she could, what Luka had said.

"So, an old friend of the Road Rovers happens to a soldier on the base we are captured in," said Anton, a disbelieving look on his face. "I have a very hard time believing that."

"Anton, he knew about the Road Rovers," said Gavin, disdain in his voice. "He knew them by name. We should at least give him a chance."

"Gavin's right," said Alex, "and would you rather sit here, waiting for them to interrogate us, and after that, dissect us."

Anton's eyes grew wide.

"Do you really think they would do that?" he asked, his voice suddenly very quiet.

"It's the American government, pal," said Gavin. "They probably would."

Anton visibly gulped and straightened up.

"Okay," he said, a slight tremble in his voice, "let's get out of here."

"Hold on guys," said Alex. "As much as I'm glad to have found a friend, he's going to get in an awful lot of trouble for this. Maybe we can…yes, that it. Listen up guys…"

A minute or so later, a knock came at the cell door. They all turned to see Luka standing there.

"Come on," he said, "let's get you out of here."

"Are you Luka?" asked Gavin.

The human nodded.

"You're going to get in a lot of trouble for this, aren't you?" asked the Border collie.

"I am, but –"

"Then, here's what we need you to do…"


	13. Escape

The base's security room was connected to every camera in every room and hallway in the base. Lieutenant Pierce was now on duty monitoring the screens. Scanning the many monitors, he saw the hallway just outside the cell that the strange doglike creatures had been placed in. He noticed someone standing there, but, assuming it was an off-duty soldier, he looked back down at the book in his lap. He was about to start reading again, when he saw the screen go blank out of the corner of his eye. He tried to see if there was a problem with the monitor, but everything seemed to be fine on end. He then picked up the phone.

"Maintenance?" he said, "yeah, one of the security cameras in the jail block has gone out, hallway 16-B. Can you send someone down there to look at it? Thanks."

Replacing the phone to its hook, he went back to his book.

"Just another night at the base," he thought, shaking his head.

* * *

"'Kay, camera's gone," said Taz, smiling as his hands snuffed out.

Alex let her power drop as well, having mentally told the camera to turn off. It had taken a bit of effort, but the malamute had successfully controlled her powers again.

"Why did we need to melt the camera?" asked Sylvia.

"Just in case," said Alex, "it might have turned back on its own."

"Follow me," said Luka.

The Rovers followed the human down the hall. As they came to a corner, they heard voices approaching from around the bend. Luka nodded to Gavin who closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated. Suddenly, the voices stopped as Gavin took control of their minds. The Rovers and Luka quietly snuck past the pair of technicians. Once the Rovers were a good distance away, Gavin release his hold on the two, and they continued walking.

"So, what exactly did you do?" asked Taz.

"I just told their minds to stop," Gavin replied. "It wasn't that hard, honestly. It…kinda felt like putting a hand over a hose, to stop the flow."

Taz nodded as they made their way further down the hallway. After a few more twists and turns, Luka stopped in front of a blank wall.

"Anton, if you would be so kind?" he asked.

The Great Pyrenees grinned, grabbed a hold of the stone wall, and pulled. Moments later, a portion of the wall broke away, the sudden change in resistance causing him to stumble. When he regained his balance and set the section down, the others let out a collective sigh of relief. Looking through the opening, the Rovers could see the Sonic Rover, still sitting out on the tarmac. Gavin turned to Luka.

"We owe you big time, Luka," he said. "If you ever need a hand, give us a call."

"But how will I know how to reach you?" asked Luka.

The others looked perplexed for a moment. Then Gavin pulled off his collar.

"Here," he said, "it's one of our communicators. I can get always get a new one."

Luka smiled.

"Thank you," he said. "And say hello to the Road Rovers for me."

"Will do."

With that, the Rovers took off over the tarmac, heading for the Sonic Rover. Luka watched them go, and as they powered up the large jet, he put Gavin's collar in his pocket. He waited for a few moments, waiting for the jet to get airborne. He then ran back towards the cell block, shouting at the top of his voice.

"Escape! The prisoners have escaped!"

* * *

Anton looked out the side window of the Sonic Rover. So far, he could see no one following him.

"Do you think that will do the trick?" he asked.

Gavin chuckled, shaking his head.

"He tells them that one of the prisoners took over his mind and forced him to open the lock," he said. "Then there's the melted security camera, the hole in the wall, and the techs' 'missing' minute and a half to back up his story. I think he'll be fine."

Anton rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"I certainly hope it works," he thought. "I'd hate to have him punished for our sakes."

A delighted squeal came from further up in the cockpit.

"Guess what, guys?" asked Alex. "I just found the radar jammer!"

Anton smiled as Alex turned on the device.

"It looks like we are 'home-free'," he thought.

* * *

"Are you telling me those…dogs…had superpowers?" asked Colonel Allen.

"That's right, Colonel," said Luka. "That's how they escaped."

The colonel leaned on his desk, his eyes closed.

"Did you see which way they went, Torres?"

"No sir," replied Luka.

He did not like lying to his commanding officer, but considering what he had just done, it was probably for the best. Besides, there was something in the colonel's voice that seemed odd. The colonel picked up the phone on his desk.

"Get me Lieutenant Pierce," he said. "Torres, you, Pierce, and I are going on a little adventure. We're going to find those dogs and bring them back."

Luka's eyes grew wide for a moment, before he regained a straight face.

"Yes sir," he replied.

Luka's thoughts were in a whirl. Just what did the colonel want with the Rovers, and how could he stop him from getting to them?

* * *

Later that night, Gavin sat in the cockpit of the Sonic Rover, as the jet ran on autopilot. He stared out through the windshield, watching the stars up above.

"It's so beautiful," he muttered. "I've never seen the stars like this."

He rested his head on his paws and watched the sky, his thoughts wandering. In his mind's eye, he saw the streets of Manhattan, where he had spent all his life.

"Well, most of it," he thought.

He sighed, as certain painful memories ran through his head.

"There's no use fretting," he thought. "I'm a Rover now, not a…"

He banished those thoughts and laid his head down. As he began to doze, he saw more images flashing though his mind, a small apartment, a dusty desert road, a forest glade, a snowy mountainside. He then realized he was picking up images from the other sleeping Rovers' minds. In his half-conscious state, he directed his mind to one Rover in particular. He saw the kind face of a master and felt a love and loyalty to him. He heard keys rattling and felt a thrill of excitement run through him. As he attempted to go deeper, he suddenly realized what he was doing. Jolting awake, he shook his head and gasped. He rubbed his eyes, trying to rub the sleep out of them.

"I really shouldn't do that," he thought. "They're my friends. I should let them keep their secrets."

A beeping and blinking from the control panel caught his attention. He looked at the navigation screen to see what it was. His ears popped up, and he reached over to shake Alex.

"Hey Alex," he said, as the malamute woke up.

"Hmm, what?" she mumbled.

"We're almost there," Gavin said, pointing to the instrument panel.

"Oh, okay, get the others up," said Alex as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I'll land this thing."

As Gavin moved towards the back, Alex hopped into the pilot's seat. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Moments later, her eyes glowed as she interfaced with the jet. She took a hold of the yoke and turned off the autopilot. Easing the plane to a low altitude, she used the jet's scanners to locate a suitable landing spot. Finding one near the coordinates they found at the Rover's base, she eased the plane to a slow descent and activated the plane's landing jets. Coming down into the clearing, the jet descended straight down.

"Hey Alex, you doing okay?"

The voice behind her took her by surprise, causing her to lose her focus. The jet dropped the last few feet with a thud, shaking everyone off their feet.

"Very nicely done, Gavin," said Anton, as he pushed himself to his feet.

"I'll wait until you're done next time," Gavin said to Alex, chuckling nervously.

After getting to their feet, the Rovers slid into their time compression suits and headed out into the jungle. As Gavin pulled on his helmet, he noticed a display on the inside.

"Hey Alex," he said, "can you tell what this display is?"

Alex put on her own helmet and looked it over.

"It looks like a sensor of some kind," she said.

She then noticed a glow in one corner of the display.

"Maybe it'll lead us to the other Rovers," she said.

Gavin shrugged.

"Worth a shot," he said.

He motioned to the other.

"Okay guys, let's move. The Road Rovers are counting on us."


	14. Restarting Rovers

Anton pushed aside another fern as the Neo Rover trekked through the Amazon rainforest. He grunted as he was met with another face full of plant material.

"Why do I have to be in front?" he asked.

"You're the biggest, mate," said Taz from behind him. "You can clear a path much easier than the others."

Anton sighed.

"Yes, of course," he thought, "but I am getting leaves stuck all over my suit. It is rather annoying."

"We're getting close," said Alex, reading her helmet's display. "In fact, we're practically on top of it. Let's spread out and look around."

The others nodded in agreement and branched off from each other. Alex stared intently at the helmet's readout and activated her powers, interfacing with the suit's systems. She then turned and followed where the suit was pointing. She came to a medium-sized tree and made her way around it, stopping short when she saw that half the tree was missing. She looked to her right and realized what she had almost walked into. There were sticks, leaves, and all manner of debris floating in midair as though held up by some invisible force.

"This must be it," she thought.

"Hey guys!" she shouted.

The other Neo Rovers arrived within moments and were equally awestruck when they saw the dome of debris, stuck in time. Ten years worth of sticks, stones, and rain water sat atop the dome of temporal energy, forming a veritable barrier between them and the other Rovers.

"I believe we have found it," said Sylvia.

"You guys ready?" asked Gavin.

The others nodded.

"I'll go first," said Anton.

"Anton, you don't have to –"

Gavin was cut short by Anton's disappearance.

"Wonderful," he muttered.

"It is working fine, mon ami," said a voice, a voice flat with disdain.

Gavin turned to see Anton standing inside the dome of temporal distortion, his arms crossed and a smug expression on his face.

"It would appear the Master has synchronized our suits with his time stop," said Anton. "You are moving at, what are to me, normal speeds."

"Me next!" cried Taz as he mashed the button on his wrist.

An instant later, his form appeared, growing out from the edge of the dome.

"Cool!" he exclaimed.

Slyvia went next, followed shortly by Alex. Gavin then took a deep breath and pressed his own button. The world around him stopped in its tracks as he walked towards the dome. Stepping through, he felt like he was stepping through a wall of molasses, but as soon as he had made it through the edge, his vision returned to normal, and the world outside the dome continued to flow. Now that he was past the wall of time-trapped debris, he could see the base in front of him. Guard towers perched around a ten foot wall that surrounded a small building. Gavin could only guess that the rest of it lay beneath the ground.

"Well, shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the base.

The Neo Rovers made their way towards the metal walls of the base. Upon reaching their base of the wall, Anton cracked his knuckles and aimed a punch at the metal plated walls. A resounding clang echoed in the Rovers' ears, followed instants later by Anton howling in pain.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow!" he cried, cradling his hand.

His breath came in hisses as he clinched his teeth in pain. Sylvia rushed towards him and grasped his hand in hers. The green glow of her healing powers spread over his head, fixing the damage done.

"What just happened?" asked Alex.

"I…I cannot break it," Anton grunted, flexing his newly restored hand.

"But, you lifted a boulder off of Alex," said Taz, "and you pulled the base's stone…wall…Of course!" he exclaimed. "We mislabeled you powers. It's not super strength, mate. You have power over rock!"

Anton raised an eyebrow at the dingo.

"I…suppose that makes sense," he replied.

Taz rushed over to the edge of the time bubble and grabbed a small stone. He rushed back and thrust it into Anton's hand.

"Try something with it," he said, excitedly.

Anton grasped the stone in both his hands and slowly pulled them away from it. The stone remained airborne, even as he put his hands by his side. A smile crept over his face, and suddenly, the rock flew off into the distance.

"I think I like this," said the Great Pyrenees.

"Well, in that case," said Gavin, "Taz, could you make a door for us?"

"Sure thing, mate," Tas replied.

He held up his hand, holding two fingers forward, imitating a pistol. A small flame leapt from his hand, and he pointed it towards the wall. A thin stream of fire sprung his hand and struck the metal wall, cutting clean through. The dingo proceeded to cut a large rectangle out of the wall and push the resulting piece of metal forward. Blowing out his flaming fingers, he bowed to his comrades.

"After you, mates," he said, gesturing to the new door.

The Rovers made their way into the base, walking past human guards and cano-mutants all stuck in time.

"Ugly fellows, are they not?" asked Sylvia.

"You can say that again," said Alex, shuddering at the sight of the bizarrely mutated dogs.

The Rovers made their way through the base, and after a several wrong turns and a dozen dead ends, they found their way to the prison room. They arrived inside and saw the Road Rovers in their cells as well as the Master and two other dogs. Gavin stared at them for a moment.

"So these are the Road Rovers," he thought. "Wow, we're actually here."

"So, how should we go about this?" asked Anton.

"I'm not sure," said Alex, "but, maybe the Master can tell us."

"Um, he's kinda frozen, Alex," said Taz.

"I know," replied the malamute, "but maybe the time stopper has, oh I don't know, some instructions on it, or something."

Taz quickly melted some of the bars off the Master's cell, and Alex stepped inside. Looking down at the Master's kneeling, she saw what appeared to be a credit card in his hand. As she looked closer, she saw that the Master was pressing a barely perceptible button on the card. She grasped the card and tugged on it, freeing it from the Master's hand. She was pleasantly surprised to find something written on the back. It said "If 'account' is frozen, cut card in two." Alex chuckled.

"Very clever," she said, showing it to the others.

Seeing the message, Taz ran off and returned with a pair of scissors. Taking them from the dingo, Alex slipped the card between the blades and sliced it in half.


	15. Another Escape

The Neo Rovers watched as the room around them started up again. The dust that shone in beams of light began to flutter again. They felt a cool breeze wash over them as the ventilation began to work once more. They watched as both the Master and Hunter turned towards them, Hunter's eye wide with wonder and the Master's face plastered with a knowing look.

"Hello Neo Rovers," said Dr. Shepherd, "I'm glad you could make it."

"Wow, that thing really worked," said Hunter. "Thanks for coming guys, I'm –"

"Hunter, we know," said Gavin. "Let's save the formalities for later. Right now, we need to get you guys out of here."

"Right, um, I can help," said Hunter, "if you can do something about that."

He pointed to the inertia dampener on the ceiling.

"No problem, mate," said Taz.

With that, he melted a pair of bars off the cell and tossed a fireball at the device. Hunter leapt out of his cell with a gigantic grin on his face.

"That is awesome!" he said.

"Ain't it, though?" Taz replied.

Suddenly, the Master burst out.

"Don't touch that!" he cried.

Too late, the other saw Sylvia grip the bars of Blitz's cage. Thousands of volts tore through her body, and she was thrown violently backwards. The sound of her cry startled the other Rovers awake as the Neo Rovers looked on in shock. Taz rushed to Sylvia's side.

"Sylvia?" he exclaimed, "are you alright?"

Then he saw Sylvia's tale tell green glow envelope her own body. Moments later, she looked up and smiled.

"Did I forget to mention I can heal myself?" she asked.

"Who – who are you?" asked Colleen.

"I'll explain later," said Dr. Shepherd, "someone's bound to have heard that, and we need to get out of here."

Now free of his inertia dampener, Hunter was able to free Colleen, while Anton used his earth powers to move the bars of Blitz's cage. Taz then melted a hole for Exile, while Blitz sliced open Shag's rubber cell. Sylvia went to each of the Road Rovers in turn, using her powers to heal their injuries. After freeing Muzzle, Hubert, and the Master, the Rovers began to plan their escape.

* * *

A pair of cano-mutants were walking down the halls of Parvo's base, just passing the door to the prison block, when a pair of large hands popped out of the door and bashed their heads together. The guards crumpled to the ground as Shag emerged from the door, followed closely by the other Rovers.

"Alright guys," said Hunter, "we'll go get the Sonic Rover ready for launch, while you guys take care of Parvo."

The motley crew of canines split in two as Hunter's group left. Colleen followed close behind the retriever. Gavin and Alex were just behind them with Hubert and the Master bringing up the rear. Gavin was watching the halls ahead, using his telepathy to scan for enemy minds. He smiled, realizing how much his powers had developed in just a few short days.

"I wonder just what I'm capable of," he wondered.

His eyes wandered for a moment before settling on the pair of Rovers in front of him. His smile dropped as he noticed the way Hunter's hand was wrapped around Colleen's. Bringing his own hand up, he stared at it for a moment, before stealing a glance at the malamute next to him.

"She's so beautiful," he thought.

He realized how much he wanted to reach out and grasp her hand in his. He began to imagine them embracing under a moonlit sky, the smell of her fur, the touch of her lips on his own…

"Argh!" he thought, grasping his head, "I've only known her a week!"

"Gavin?"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Alex's concerned face looking back at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Gavin smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I'm fi –"

He stopped, his telepathy detecting approaching minds.

"No, I'm not," he half-whispered. "There's someone coming from down that hallway."

* * *

Exile peeked around a corner as he and his squad made their way towards where the Neo Rovers believed they had seen Parvo's time machine. As the husky left and scouted ahead, Anton bent down and whispered to Taz.

"Do you think we should tell them?" he asked.

"About what, mate?" asked the dingo.

"About the...time gap," whispered the Pyrenees.

"Oh," Taz thought for a moment, "I hadn't thought about that."

He tapped his fingers together, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Perhaps we should wait until we are out of here," said Anton.

"Sounds like a plan," Taz replied.

At that moment, Exile returned.

"I have found Parvo's time machine," he replied. "But we are needing to be sneaky if we are wishing to get there unnoticed."

Shag muttered something to the husky.

"Yes, there are guards," replied Exile. "They are nothing we cannot handle, but I am thinking we should save energy for battle in time machine room."

"Enough with the planning!" exclaimed Blitz. "Let's get to the biting!"

"Don't be weird boy," muttered Exile, as the others chuckled at the Doberman's exuberance.

The group fell into silence as they began to move down the hallway. Exile led the way, followed closely by Blitz and Sylvia. Behind them, Shag carted Muzzle along while Taz and Anton watched the team's back. Sylvia tapped Blitz on the shoulder.

"Why is Muzzle strapped down like that?" she asked.

"Muzzle is a little loopy in the head," said Blitz, looking back at his teammate. "There's no telling what he'd do if we let him loose."

The German shepherd gave Blitz an odd look.

"You'll find out soon enough," he replied.

Exile held up a hand as they came to a corner. The others could hear voices coming their way.

"Shag?" Exile motioned around the corner.

The sheepdog handed to Muzzle to Blitz and was about to go around the corner, when Anton grabbed his shoulder.

"Allow me," he said.

Shag looked at Exile, who shrugged and gestured Anton onward. The Pyrenees made his way down to the corner and peeked around it. After a moment, he pulled back his fist and slammed it against the wall. An instant later, the floor shook as something heavy fell to the ground. The Rovers ventured around the corner to find four human guards buried in a pile of rubble.

"Nicely done, comrade," said Exile.

He motioned the team onward. Within just a few minutes, they managed to find their way to the base's central room. Exile peered around the corner.

"It is here, comrades," he said. "Now, we rush in, and take out guards. Then, we blow time machine to Kingdom Can't and get out of here."

Taz looked at Blitz inquisitively.

"Kingdom Can't?" he asked, his palms beginning to burn.

"Don't ask," replied Blitz.

Exile held up his hand, then signaled forward. The Rovers burst into the room. Exile, Taz, and Anton sent fire, stone, and ice beams flying in every direction, while Blitz, Shag, and Slyvia leapt into the fray with a barrage of claws, fists, and kicks. With the element of surprise on their side, the Rovers made quick work of a dozen or so guards, before Parvo's men even knew what hit them. The last ten or so put up a fight, but were no match for the Rovers' combined might.

Once the last of the guard was dispatched, the Rovers turned their attention to the time machine. It was mere moments before the structure came crashing to the ground, circuits and hydraulics spilling over the ground. Taz high-fived Exile.

"We did it, mate!" he exclaimed.

"Indeed, you have," said a voice.

The Rovers turned as one to see General Parvo standing in the doorway, flanked by the groomer and a pair of cano-mutants.

"But, by destroying my time machine, you have inadvertently set off the base's self destruct sequence," the general continued. "You've doomed yourselves, Rovers. Farewell.

"You!" cried Blitz.

He rushed towards the general and tripped as he passed right though one of the cano-mutant's legs.

"Holograms," muttered Exile. "Come on, comrades, it is time we are skeetalooting out of here."

"What!" laughed Taz, before he was picked up by Anton.

"Just run!" cried the Great Pyrenees.

Grabbing Muzzle, the Rovers sprinted down the hallways as all around them, bricks, mortar, and metal began to fall around them.

"I would not have predicted this," thought Blitz as he dashed down the hall.


	16. Initiate Takeoff

Gavin punched out another guard and dropped to the ground to avoid a shot from an energy rifle. He heard the rifle clatter to the ground, as he saw its cano-mutant wielder go flying past his field of vision. Hunter appeared in front of him with an accompanying "zip" and held a hand out to him.

"That's the last of them," he said. "Let's get moving. Which way, Gavin?"

The border collie concentrated for a moment, before pointing the way they had been heading. The Rovers took off at a brisk pace, making sure not to leave Hubert and the Master behind and managed to reach the front gate without any further incidents. Hunter peered out the front door, which was still lying to one side, having been cut open by Blitz just (to him) a couple days ago.

"Do you know where the Stealth Rover is?" Hunter asked Gavin and Alex. "That's what we brought here."

"Sorry," replied Alex, "we were in such a hurry, we didn't bother to check."

"It's okay," replied Colleen. "We can come back for it later."

"Right, let's wait for those guards to go by before we break for it," said Hubert.

"What guards?" asked Hunter.

The bloodhound canosapien pointed to the front gate, which was also still in disrepair, as just then, a pair of cano-mutant guards walked past.

"I always forget that nose of yours," said Hunter.

The six waited a few moments before dashing from the door and through the gate into the jungle. Hunter turned to look back and was relieved to see that, apparently, no one had seen them.

"Okay, guys, which way?" he asked.

Gavin pointed to where he sensed the Sonic Rover sat waiting, and they began to walk. As they took off, Alex noted that the Neo Rovers had come in the back way. She chuckled. Anton could have been spared that embarrassing hand injury had they known about the smashed-open front gate.

"Pardon me, Alex," said the Master.

"Yes?"

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but could you tell me a bit about your teammates?" he asked. "I'd like to know some things about them, seeing as they were picked by a machine, rather than by me personally."

"Not at all, first, there's Sylvia, the German Shepherd…"

As she began describing her teammates, their names, powers, land of origin, she paused when she began to speak of one of them. Like the rest, she had not known him very long, but in the few days since her transformation, she had found herself daydreaming about him every so often. But, she knew there was a time and a place for dwelling on such things and now was not the time.

The band of Rovers pushed past a thicket and came upon the Sonic Rover. The group ran to the walkway, which was still sitting on the ground, and up into the jet. Hunter and Colleen jumped into the cockpit, having more experience flying the craft than their Neo Rover counterparts, while Alex raised the walkway and shut the door. Sending the craft into a vertical takeoff, the Rovers began to rise above the jungle. Moments later, they were flying, slowly, towards Parvo's base.

Upon reaching it, Colleen exclaimed, "The building's collapsing!"

The others rushed forward and watched as portions of the building began falling off. Gavin reached out with his telepathy and searched for the other Rovers.

"They're still in there!" he exclaimed. "Quick, lower the ladder!"

Hunter nodded and pressed the ladder release switch. Alex opened the door and peered down, as wind rushed through the plane's interior. She watched as one of the base's tower toppled with a resounding crash and, moments later, saw the other Rovers rushing from the collapsing structure. The ground-bound Rovers rushed for the rope ladder hanging from the plane and began to climb. Alex reached down and grasped Taz's hand as he clambered to the top. Dr. Shepherd and Hubert joined in helping the Rovers into the plane. In less than a minute, all the Rovers had made it into the craft, and they took off into the sky.

* * *

Down below, the base continued to collapse. Within minutes, there was nothing left but a pile of rubble, which sank as the ground beneath it collapse. By the time the dust settled, there was nothing left but a moderately sized sink hole. That night, a small group of shadows made their way to the clearing. The metallic armor that the one at the head wore reflected in the moonlight as he smiled.

"Yes, this will be a lovely spot for my base," he said. "Groomer, have the cano-mutants bring the time machine here."

"Yes, General," replied the woman as she barked out orders to the mutant troops.

A quartet of cano-mutants could be seen carrying a sizeable piece of machinery, which they set down near the edge of the clearing. The general moved up to the machine and began to fiddle with the controls.

"Let's see, twelve years in the past," he muttered. "That should give me enough time to build a base and an army. Come Groomer, it's time we put time on our side."

And so, General Parvo and the Groomer stepped back in time, never knowing that they had come upon the demolished remains of the base they would build, twelve years in the past.

* * *

Hunter set the autopilot for the Rovers' base and turned around in the pilot seat, facing the crew, which had doubled in size since he had last sat in this chair.

"Well, we've got a long flight home," he said. "Anybody got any suggestions?"

"Oh, can we play a game?" asked Taz, from the back of the craft.

"What'd you have in mind?" asked Colleen.

"How about Twenty Questions?"

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the Rovers.

"Alright, I'll start, and Gavin, no cheating!" said Taz.

The others laughed.

"Okay, Taz, is it vegetable, animal, or mineral?" asked the Master.

"Mineral."

"Can it fit in my hand?" asked Anton.

"Yes."

The game progressed, questions and answers flying back and forth. Finally, they arrived at the nineteenth question.

"Does it play music?" asked Colleen.

"Yes," replied the dingo.

"It's a CD player!" exclaimed the collie.

"Nope." Taz had a smug smile on his face.

"Then what –" Colleen paused in thought.

"It's an iPod," said Alex.

"Ya got it, mate."

Taz then noticed the odd look on the original Rovers' face.

"What?" he asked.

"What is an iPod?" asked Blitz.

Taz's eyes grew wide as his hand flew to his mouth. The other Neo Rovers gave each other concerned looks.

"Um, guys," said Gavin, "there's something you need to know."

He took a deep breath.

"You all have been in that time bubble…for ten years."


	17. Heroes Renewed

The interior of the Sonic Rover was silent for a few moments, before Hunter began to giggle.

"Oh, that's a good one, you guys," he chuckled. "You really had me going there for a second. 'Yeah, let's make up something and trick the Road Rovers into…'"

He then saw the looks on the Neo Rovers' faces.

"You're…not joking?" he asked.

Anton shook his head.

"We wish we could tell you otherwise," he said, "but it is true. Alex can better explain what happened."

With that, the malamute began to describe what she believed had happened to the HQ's computer. She then went on to tell about the corrupted hologram program and later escaping from the military base.

"My goodness," said the Master, "it seems you five have already had a few adventures. Well, at least we know the base is still operational and undiscovered after ten years. That's something."

"Oh, and we ran into an old friend of yours," said Gavin, "Luka Torres."

"Really! Where'd you meet him?" asked Colleen.

"He was on the military base that caught us," replied Sylvia. "It seems he and his family moved to the United States."

"Well, what do you know about that?" asked Exile. "What are the odds?"

"So let's see, we've essentially travelled ten years into the future," said Hunter, counting on his fingers. "Our secret is still safe, and I'm willing to guess Luka isn't the only person we knew who is still alive. We're still heroes, and we still have a job to do. Right, guys?"

"Sure thing, Huntie," replied Colleen.

"I am with you, comrade," said Exile.

"You're right," said Blitz.

Shag gave an enthusiastic bark.

"Well then, to the power of the pack!"

With that, he threw back his head and howled. The other Road Rovers joined in enthusiastically. After a moment, Hunter turned towards the Neo Rovers.

"Come on, guys," he said. "You guys are part of the team, now. You saved us all, and in my book, that make you part of our pack, our family. Now, to the power of the pack, to old friends and new ones, and new adventures ahead of us."

With that, every Rover threw back their heads and howled at the ceiling. Professor Shepherd covered his ears as the sound shook the craft and rattled the windows. He chuckled.

"So much like dogs," he said, "and I wouldn't change a thing."

Eventually, the howls died down, and the Rovers settled down for the long ride home.

"Hey, Taz," called Hunter.

"Yeah?"

"You know you never answered my question."

* * *

Somewhere in the desert of New Mexico, a jeep pulled to a stop near the banks of a lake. Three soldiers stepped out of the jeep and began to walk down to the edge of the moonlit water.

"You're sure this is where the bogey came from, Pierce?" asked Colonel Allen.

"This general area, more or less," said the lieutenant. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted," replied the colonel.

"Why exactly to you want to find those…dogs? They've got super powers, and I don't see any means of catching them in the back of the jeep."

The colonel's face remained stoic as he watched the waves break on the lake's edge.

"You'll find out soon enough, lieutenant. You'll find out soon enough."

Lieutenant Torres was having a tough time keeping his face straight. He had no idea what his commanding officer was planning, but he knew he could not let him find the Rovers' base, wherever that might be. He felt his pocket and the communicator collar Gavin had given him. He would have to wait to use it until he could be sure he was unseen.

"I can only hope that they take a while on their mission," he thought. "I need to contact them, before they get back, and I cannot have Colonel Allen know about it."

Luka sat back down in the jeep as the other two soldiers returned.

"This is going to be a long night," he thought.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, this wraps up another arc in the Neo Rovers' story. Thank you to all who commented and favorited this story. I hope you stick around for my next story, _Kingdom Hearts: Worlds Untold_, premiering in two weeks.**

**Hope to see you then!**


	18. Author's Note

Hello Rover fans!

Yes, believe it or not, I'm back for another crack at Neo Rovers. However, in the…wow, has it really been two years since I posted a chapter here?

Anyway! In the two years since the last installment, I decided that where I was was a perfectly good place to end the introductory story. So, starting later this week, I will be starting a sequel. So be on the lookout!


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